Political Research (U00190)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : SPS-3-POPR

Political research is concerned with the ways in which political scientists assemble and analyse evidence about people, organisations and concepts in order to provide insights into political structures, processes and outcomes. This course is not a comprehensive survey of theory and method in social science but simply provides an introduction to aspects of research design most commonly used in politics. The course is usually taken in 3rd year; it serves as preparation for independent work in 4th year, such as dissertations and placements, and develops a number of transferable skills of interest to employers and others. Students attend one lecture and one tutorial each week.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Visiting students must have prior study in Politics. As a general guide we usually require students to have completed three Politics courses at grade B or above. Admission to honours courses is limited and there can be strong competition for places.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Politics, (School of Social and Political Studies, Schedule J)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
11/01/2006	11:10	12:00	Room S.1, 7 George Square	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Wednesday	11:10	12:00	Central

? Additional Class Information : Plus weekly tutorials.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course students should be able to:
- identify the potential and problems of different methods of political enquiry;
- appreciate the methodological challenges involved in developing adequate forms of measurement, causal explanations and interpretive accounts;
- apply this knowledge in order to prepare a detailed proposal for new research into a politics-related topic.